5 Then all the tribes of Israel came to David at Hebron and said, Behold, we are your bone and your flesh.

² In times past, when Saul was king over us, it was you who led out and brought in Israel. And the Lord told you, You shall feed My people Israel and be prince over [them].^(A)

³ So all the elders of Israel came to the king at Hebron, and King David made a covenant with them [there] before the Lord, and they anointed [him] king over Israel.

⁴ David was thirty years old when he began his forty-year reign.

⁵ In Hebron he reigned over Judah seven years and six months, and in Jerusalem he reigned thirty-three years over all Israel and Judah.

⁶ And the king and his men went to Jerusalem against the Jebusites, the inhabitants of the land, who said to David, You shall not enter here, for the blind and the lame will prevent you; they thought, David cannot come in here.

⁷ Nevertheless, David took the stronghold of Zion, that is, the City of David.

⁸ David said on that day, Whoever smites the Jebusites, let him get up through the water shaft and smite the lame and the blind who are detested by David’s soul. So they say, The blind and the lame shall not come into the house.

⁹ So David dwelt in the stronghold and called it the City of David. And he built round about from the Millo and inward.

¹⁰ David became greater and greater, for the Lord God of hosts was with him.

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11 Then [after the death of Ish-bosheth, Saul’s son, who ruled over eleven tribes of Israel for two troubled years after Saul’s death] all Israel gathered at Hebron and said to David, Behold, we are your bone and your flesh.^(A)

² In times past, even when Saul was king, it was you who led out and brought in Israel; and the Lord your God said to you, You shall be shepherd of My people Israel, and you shall be prince and leader over [them].

³ So all the elders of Israel came to the king at Hebron, and David made a covenant with them there before the Lord, and they anointed [him] king over Israel, according to the word of the Lord through Samuel.^(B)

⁴ And David and all Israel went to Jerusalem, that is Jebus, where the Jebusites, the inhabitants of the land, were.

⁵ Then the Jebusites said to David, You shall not come in here! But David took the stronghold of Zion, that is, the City of David.

⁶ And David said, Whoever smites the Jebusites first shall be chief and commander. Joab son of Zeruiah [David’s half sister] went up first, and so he was made chief.

⁷ David dwelt in the stronghold; so it was called the City of David.

⁸ He built the city from the Millo [a fortification] on around; and Joab repaired and revived the rest of the [old Jebusite] city.

⁹ And David became greater and greater, for the Lord of hosts was with him.

¹⁰ Now these are the chiefs of David’s mighty men, who strongly supported him in his kingdom, together with all Israel, to make him king, according to the word of the Lord concerning Israel.

¹¹ And this is the number [thirty, and list] of David’s mighty men: Jashobeam, a Hachmonite, the chief of the Thirty [captains]. He lifted up his spear against 300, whom he slew at one time.

¹² Next to him in rank was Eleazar son of Dodo the Ahohite, one of the three mighty men.

¹³ He was with David at Pas-dammim [where David had long before slain Goliath], and there the Philistines were gathered for battle, where there was a plot of ground full of barley or lentils; and the men [of Israel] fled before the Philistines.

¹⁴ And Eleazar [one of the Three] stood in the midst of that plot and defended it and slew the Philistines [until his hand was weary, and his hand cleaved to the sword], and the Lord saved by a great victory and deliverance.^(C)

¹⁵ Three of the thirty chief men went down to the rock to David, into the cave of Adullam, and the army of the Philistines was encamped in the Valley of Rephaim.

¹⁶ David was then in the stronghold, and the Philistines’ garrison was in Bethlehem.

¹⁷ And David longingly said, Oh, that someone would give me water to drink from the well of Bethlehem which is by the gate!

¹⁸ Then the Three [mighty men] broke through the camp of the Philistines and drew water out of the well of Bethlehem which was by the gate and brought it to David. But David would not drink it; he poured it out to the Lord,

¹⁹ And said, My God forbid that I should do this thing. Shall I drink the blood of these men who have put their lives in jeopardy? For at the risk of their lives they brought it. So he would not drink it. These things did these three mighty men.

²⁰ Abishai the brother of Joab was chief of the Three. For he lifted up his spear against 300 and slew them, and was named among the Three.

²¹ Of the Three [in the second rank] he was more renowned than the two, and became their captain; however, he attained not to the first three.

²² Benaiah son of Jehoiada, whose father was a valiant man of Kabzeel, had done mighty deeds. He slew the two sons of Ariel of Moab. Also he went down and slew a lion in a pit in time of snow.

²³ He slew an Egyptian also, a man of great stature, five cubits tall. The Egyptian held a spear like a weaver’s beam, and [Benaiah] went to him with a staff and plucked the spear out of the Egyptian’s hand and slew him with the man’s own spear.

²⁴ These things did Benaiah son of Jehoiada, and won a name beside the three mighty men.

²⁵ He was renowned among the Thirty, but he did not attain to the rank of the first three. David put him over his guard and council.

²⁶ Also the mighty men of the armies were: Asahel the brother of Joab, Elhanan son of Dodo of Bethlehem,

²⁷ Shammoth of Harod, Helez the Pelonite,

²⁸ Ira son of Ikkesh of Tekoa, Abiezer of Anathoth,

²⁹ Sibbecai the Hushathite, Ilai the Ahohite,

³⁰ Maharai of Netophah, Heled son of Baanah of Netophah,

³¹ Ithai son of Ribai of Gibeah of the Benjamites, Benaiah of Pirathon,

³² Hurai of the brooks of Gaash, Abiel the Arbathite,

³³ Azmaveth of Baharum, Eliahba of Shaalbon,

³⁴ The sons of Hashem the Gizonite, Jonathan son of Shagee the Hararite,

³⁵ Ahiam son of Sacar the Hararite, Eliphal son of Ur,

³⁶ Hepher the Mecherathite, Ahijah the Pelonite,

³⁷ Hezro of Carmel, Naarai son of Ezbai,

³⁸ Joel the brother of Nathan, Mibhar son of Hagri,

³⁹ Zelek the Ammonite, Naharai the Berothite, the armor-bearer of Joab son of Zeruiah [David’s half sister],

⁴⁰ Ira the Ithrite, Gareb the Ithrite,

⁴¹ Uriah the Hittite [Bathsheba’s husband], Zabad son of Ahlai,

⁴² Adina son of Shiza, a leader of the Reubenites, and thirty heroes with him,

⁴³ Hanan son of Maacah, and Joshaphat the Mithnite,

⁴⁴ Uzzia the Ashterathite, Shama and Jeiel the sons of Hotham the Aroerite,

⁴⁵ Jediael son of Shimri, and Joha his brother, the Tizite,

⁴⁶ Eliel the Mahavite, Jeribai and Joshaviah sons of Elnaam, Ithmah the Moabite,

⁴⁷ Eliel, Obed, and Jaasiel the Mezobaite.

12 These are the ones who came to David at Ziklag, while he yet concealed himself because of Saul son of Kish; they were among the mighty men, his helpers in war.

² They were bowmen and could use the right hand or the left to sling stones or shoot arrows from the bow; they were of Saul’s kinsmen of Benjamin.

³ The chief was Ahiezer and then Joash the sons of Shemaah of Gibeah; Jeziel and Pelet the sons of Azmaveth; Beracah, and Jehu of Anathoth,

⁴ Ishmaiah of Gibeon, a mighty man among the Thirty and a [leader] over them; Jeremiah, Jahaziel, Johanan, Jozabad of Gederah,

⁵ Eluzai, Jerimoth, Bealiah, Shemariah, Shephatiah the Haruphite;

⁶ Elkanah, Isshiah, Azarel, Joezer, and Jashobeam, the Korahites;

⁷ Joelah and Zebadiah the sons of Jeroham of Gedor.

⁸ Of the Gadites there went over to David to the stronghold in the wilderness men of might, men trained for war who could handle shield and spear, whose faces were like the faces of lions, and who were swift as gazelles on the mountains:

⁹ Ezer the chief, Obadiah the second, Eliab the third,

¹⁰ Mishmannah the fourth, Jeremiah the fifth,

¹¹ Attai the sixth, Eliel the seventh,

¹² Johanan the eighth, Elzabad the ninth,

¹³ Jeremiah the tenth, Machbannai the eleventh.

¹⁴ These Gadites were officers of the army. The lesser was equal to and over a hundred, and the greater equal to and over a thousand.

¹⁵ These are the men who went over the Jordan in the first month when it had overflowed all its banks, and put to flight all those in the valleys, east and west.

¹⁶ There came some of the men of Benjamin and Judah to the stronghold to David.

¹⁷ David went out to meet them and said to them, If you have come peaceably to me to help me, my heart shall be knit to you; but if you have come to betray me to my adversaries, although there is no violence or wrong in my hands, may the God of our fathers look upon and rebuke you.

¹⁸ Then the Spirit came upon Amasai, who was chief of the captains, and he said, Yours we are, David, and on your side, you son of Jesse! Peace, peace be to you, and peace be to your helpers, for your God helps you. Then David received them and made them officers of his troops.

¹⁹ Some of the men of Manasseh deserted to David when he came with the Philistines for the battle against Saul. But [David’s] men did not actually fight with them, for the lords of the Philistines, upon advisement, sent him away, saying, He will desert to his master Saul at the risk of our heads.^(D)

²⁰ As David went to Ziklag, there deserted to him of Manasseh: Adnah, Jozabad, Jediael, Michael, Jozabad, Elihu, and Zillethai, chiefs of thousands in Manasseh.

²¹ They helped David against the band of raiders, for they were all mighty men of courage, and [all seven] became commanders in [his] army.

²² For at that time day by day men kept coming to David to help him, until there was a great army, like the army of God.

²³ These are the numbers of the armed divisions who came to David at Hebron to turn the kingdom of Saul to him, according to the word of the Lord:

²⁴ Those of Judah, who bore shield and spear, were 6,800 armed for war;

²⁵ Those of Simeon, mighty and brave warriors, 7,100;

²⁶ Those of Levi, 4,600—

²⁷ Jehoiada was the leader of the Aaronite [priests], and with him were 3,700,

²⁸ And Zadok, a young man mighty in valor, and twenty-two captains from his own father’s house;

²⁹ Of the Benjamites, the kindred of [King] Saul, 3,000—hitherto the majority of them had kept their allegiance [to Saul] and the charge of the house of Saul;

³⁰ Of the Ephraimites, 20,800, mighty in valor, famous in their fathers’ houses;

³¹ Of the half-tribe of Manasseh, 18,000, who were mentioned by name to come and make David king;

³² And of Issachar, men who had understanding of the times to know what Israel ought to do, 200 chiefs; and all their kinsmen were under their command;

³³ Of Zebulun, 50,000 experienced troops, fitted out with all kinds of weapons and instruments of war that could order and set the battle in array, men not of double purpose but stable and trustworthy.

³⁴ Of Naphtali, 1,000 captains, and with them 37,000 [of the rank and file armed] with shield and spear;

³⁵ Of Dan, 28,600, men who could set the battle in array;

³⁶ Of Asher, men able to go forth to battle, fit for active service, 40,000;

³⁷ On the other [the east] side of the Jordan River, of Reuben and Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh, 120,000 men, armed with all the weapons and instruments of war.

³⁸ All these, being men of war arrayed in battle order, came with a perfect and sincere heart to Hebron to make David king over all Israel; and all the rest also of Israel were of one mind to make David king.

³⁹ And they were there with David for three days, eating and drinking, for their brethren had prepared for them.

⁴⁰ Also those who were near them from as far as Issachar, Zebulun, and Naphtali brought food on donkeys, camels, mules, and oxen, abundant supplies of meal, cakes of figs, bunches of raisins, wine, oil, oxen, and sheep, for there was joy in Israel.